Chapter 7. Concreteness
We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.
—Malcolm Gladwell
When you document a complicated procedure, a new concept, or a default value for an input field, you can make that information more concrete by relating it to an experience, skill, or knowledge that users already possess. By using examples, scenarios, or even just precise terminology, you can provide specific and practical details that help your users truly understand the unfamiliar.
What makes concreteness so important in technical writing is that many technical subjects, such as relational ...
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